[2021-05-06] MITs and other habits

Just as certain people move in and out of our lives, books can come and go―having an impact at one point, then being forgotten and subsequently being rediscovered at a moment when we need them most.Just as certain people move in and out of our lives, books can come and go―having an impact at one point, then being forgotten and subsequently being rediscovered at a moment when we need them most.

Years ago, I developed the habit of highlighting key passages in books that I own, neatly underlining notable sentences using a pencil and ruler, or typing out and saving noteworthy statements from books I borrow, which has the advantage of making my notes searchable. I can go back to these best bits years later, and realize, anew, the value of having read the book in the first place.

Today, I came across notes from one such book: The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life. Author Leo Babauta is one of the world's most popular bloggers, preaching a simple, minimalist lifestyle that has always appealed to me. His philosophy in this book is to do less but ultimately achieve more by focusing on the essential and eliminating everything else.

It is a good time to rediscover this book. Simplification and focus are appropriate principles for me as I start to think about my life beyond cancer.

Babauta recommends choosing those tasks that will have the greatest impact by doing one of two things:
  1. Examine your task list. Take a look at everything on your list and ask yourself the following questions about each one: Will this have an impact that will last beyond this week or this month? How will it change my job, my career, my life? How will this further a long-term goal of mine? How important is that goal?...
  2. Start with your goals. If you start by identifying the things you really want to accomplish in the next year, you can plan your tasks so that you are doing things each day to further those goals along. Let's say you have three long-term goals―each day, choose a task from your list that will move you closer to those goals.

While I do a number of tasks each day that are tied to broad goals, such as being as healthy as possible, I haven't deliberately selected or eliminated tasks with the aim of doing less but achieving more.

My day includes exercise in the form of a daily walk, good food for health or pleasure (ideally both, though not always), light work around the house (such as baking and doing dishes with my kids), research for and writing of my daily blog post, responses to emails and comments in social media, and a little entertainment (a daily online crossword puzzle and nightly Jeopardy game with my husband). These tasks contribute to my health, my relationships and my mission of wringing every positive thing out of cancer, growing from the experience, and being an even brighter light in the world.

I have yet to figure out what my long-term goals are, perhaps in part because I've been focused on cancer treatment for so long and in part because I didn't know what the outcome of that treatment would be. With recent positive results, I'm feeling more optimistic and more inclined to think longer term.

Babauta advises that as you identify what you want to do today, this week, this year or in your life in general, you should recognize that setting goals and prioritizing tasks is not a one-time activity. In what he calls a continual editing process, Babauta notes:

Most of the time you don't pare things all the way down to the essentials on your first try. You eliminate some of the nonessentials and give the remaining things a try. Then you take another look at it in a week or two and eliminate more things. Continue that process until you are happy that you can't eliminate anything else.

Among the many excellent tips in this book, my favourite is to establish your MITs. These are your Most Important Tasks―the three tasks you most want or need to get done today, at least one of which should be related to one of your goals. That's not to say that you can't complete more than these three tasks, only that these tasks are ones that you want to be sure to complete.

I used to write out my MITs every day when I worked in the office, but fell out of this practice in recent months. It's a habit I'd like to re-establish.

Babauta likes to complete his MITs first thing in the morning and then to tackle smaller tasks in batches, for instance, checking email only twice a day or spending 15 minutes decluttering his house.

Similarly, I like to do my walk in the morning when I have more energy and can be certain that I'll do it.

Babauta provides helpful tips on how to establish a new habit:
  • Work on only one new habit each month, focusing on something that will have the biggest impact in your life.
  • Choose a goal that you really want to accomplish. "It's not enough to say, 'It would be nice to achieve this goal.' You need to want it so deeply that you'll make it your top priority for months to come."
  • Make your goal easier than you think you can achieve, such as 12 minutes of daily meditation rather than 30, or 5 minutes instead of 12: "making it super easy is one of the best ways to ensure you'll succeed."
  • Make your goal measurable. "You should be able to say, definitely, whether you were successful or not today.... Whatever your goal, have a measurement."
  • Develop and write down your plan for establishing a new habit: your daily goal, when you'll do it, the trigger activity (the task that's already part of your routine that will precede the new habit), and how you'll track your progress.
  • Tell others about your new goal. Babauta recommends sharing your goal publicly to let as many people as possible know of your commitment. "Just the act of committing to the Challenge, and setting a measurable goal, and declaring it to a bunch of others, is a huge step toward making the habit change a success."
  • Track your progress and share it with the same people to whom you told your goal. "The daily check-in makes you want to do your daily habit, so you can report your success to others." Even reporting your struggles can be helpful, as your community is likely to provide encouragement on days when your commitment wanes.
  • Celebrate your new habit. Your success can inspire others, in the same way that others' success can inspire you.
My most ambitious goal over the past nine months has been writing a daily blog post. The public commitment has been highly motivating, as has been the encouraging response.

The Power of Less has many more tips for simplifying your life. I will share some of those in a future post.